diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
index b50a8c8303..1e5b6a9dbb 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ static const NLType genl_wireguard_peer_types[] = {
         [WGPEER_A_PUBLIC_KEY] = { .size = WG_KEY_LEN  },
         [WGPEER_A_FLAGS] = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_U32 },
         [WGPEER_A_PRESHARED_KEY] = { .size = WG_KEY_LEN },
-        [WGPEER_A_PERSISTENT_KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL] = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_U32 },
+        [WGPEER_A_PERSISTENT_KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL] = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_U16 },
         [WGPEER_A_ENDPOINT] = { /* either size of sockaddr_in or sockaddr_in6 depending on address family */ },
         [WGPEER_A_ALLOWEDIPS] = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &genl_wireguard_allowedip_type_system },
 };
diff --git a/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c b/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
index b81ddbde8f..fabff3b72e 100644
--- a/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
+++ b/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ static int set_wireguard_interface(NetDev *netdev) {
                                 if (r < 0)
                                         break;
 
-                                r = sd_netlink_message_append_u32(message, WGPEER_A_PERSISTENT_KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL, peer->persistent_keepalive_interval);
+                                r = sd_netlink_message_append_u16(message, WGPEER_A_PERSISTENT_KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL, peer->persistent_keepalive_interval);
                                 if (r < 0)
                                         break;